Chapter 284: Act 2

Shang Xia knew that it was impossible to become a true archer with his short training. He might be able to shoot decently, but he used a large portion of his Origin True Qi to brute force his control over his bow.

He was clearly unable to bring out the full power of the graded bow he looted after killing the expert from the Azure Spiritual World looking to kill him. Of course, with his strength, it was more than enough for his arrows imbued with his Origin True Qi to kill any cultivator in the Martial Extremity Realm or below.

Next, they had to talk about Mister Bu. He was working with Fourth Brother Zeng and Uncle Cen. The members of the Changfeng City instantly felt the pressure against them mounting, especially with Shang Xia shooting arrows from the side.

Shang Xia’s ranged assistance caused the members of the Changfeng City to restrain themselves. That was what allowed them to retreat into the Thousand Leaf Mountain Range.

Currently, there were only five of the original Eighteen Horsemen left. All of them were riddled with injuries, and Fourth Brother Zeng and Uncle Cen fared the worst. After all, they were the targets of focus by most of the experts of the Changfeng City.

Looking at the remaining comrades around him, Uncle Cen sighed, “From today onwards, the Eighteen Horsemen of the You Continent will cease to exist.”

.

Fourth Brother Zeng wanted to say something, but all that emerged from his lips was blood.

Fluster broke out among the remaining members and eventually, a bottle of medicine was handed over to Fourth Brother Zeng.

When that was done, Sixth Sister Gu, who was in the best condition out of all of them, cupped her fists towards Mister Bu. “Many thanks to senior for the help. How can we address you?”

As Mister Bu had already concealed his appearance before entering the battle, none of them recognized him. He waved his hand casually and said, “You can call me ‘Mister Bu’. As for the reason behind my assistance… You can consider it my reluctance to see my fellow comrades of the Tongyou City dying in the hands of others.”

They stared at him in shock. “Mister Bu, are you also someone from the institution?”

“You can think of it as such…” Mister Bu chuckled.

Not hearing the strange tone in his voice, most of them accepted it as a matter of fact. Well, even if they found it strange, all of them chose to overlook it at that moment.

Uncle Cen’s expression turned into one of excitement after learning that Mister Bu came from the institution. “Senior, I wonder if you have news on the institution right now?”

“All of you aren’t strong enough to deal with the matters concerning the institution at the moment. Also, you better not try going to the Tongyou City now. It’s a death trap at the moment. Now, all you need to do is to stay in place and ensure your safety.”

“Oh…” Sixth Sister Gu nodded slowly and muttered, “Many thanks for senior’s guidance…”

Sixth Sister Gu wasn’t able to see through the intricacies and didn’t hear the hidden meaning behind Mister Bu’s words. However, Fourth Brother Zeng and Uncle Cen were clearly sharper. They looked at each other silently and due to Fourth Brother Zeng’s heavy injuries, he was in no position to speak. Uncle Cen eventually sighed, “All of us are indebted to Mister Bu for the life-saving grace. If you have any instructions for us, we’ll carry it out without any hesitation!”

A chuckle left Mister Bu’s lips. “The most important thing right now is to locate a quiet place for you to recover. I will definitely need your help in the future. Of course, I’m not commanding you to do my dirty work. Instead, they’re missions from the institution.”

The inner strife among the Eighteen Horsemen earlier was about leaving the control of the Tongyou Institution. Since those standing beside Mister Bu at that moment chose not to betray the institution, they could be said to have passed the test. Mister Bu wouldn’t suspect them at all and he chose to reveal some information.

Even so, his gaze was locked on Fourth Brother Zeng. After all, he admitted to agreeing with Second Brother Liu earlier.

The only reason he chose to stand against the Changfeng City was because their second in command colluded with Yang Zhenbiao and he detested their actions.

As such, Fourth Brother Zeng’s position in the matter was slightly problematic. He wasn’t truly loyal to the institution. He only helped the rest due to his hatred for Second Brother Liu’s actions.

Fourth Brother Zeng’s injuries were serious and he failed to notice Mister Bu’s subtle actions. However, Uncle Cen seemed to have caught on and he added quickly, “Fourth Brother only wanted a way for us to survive. He never intended to betray the institution.”

Nodding slowly, Mister Bu handed a map and a piece of jade talisman over to Uncle Cen. “Alright. I marked out a secret region in the Thousand Leaf Mountain Range you can use to recuperate. I’ll look for you in a little bit. If anything comes up, crush the jade talisman and I’ll arrive as quickly as possible.”

“Many thanks!” Uncle Cen received the jade talisman and kept it carefully before asking, “There was another senior who helped us earlier with the bow. I wonder if it’s possible for us to express our gratitude to them?”

Glancing behind him, Mister Bu chuckled, “He’s not willing to show himself at the moment. I’m sure you will meet in the future.”

Sixth Sister Gu seemed to have heard Mister Bu’s intention to leave from the way he spoke and hurriedly added, “Mister, we don’t wish to trouble you any further, but our third in command is stuck deep in the Changfeng City. I wonder if we can trouble Mister Bu to…”

Mister Bu interrupted her before he could finish her sentence. “Since Yang Hu captured them, their life won’t be in danger for the time being. I will need your help in the future to launch a rescue operation too. Right now, all you need to care about is recovering.”

Uncle Cen and the others rejoiced after hearing what he said. They thanked him profusely.

“Alright, we’ll call it a day today. We’ll see each other soon.” When he was done talking, he turned around and his figure disappeared into the snowy white forest.

When they saw him leave, Ninth Brother Huang who had been silent all this time muttered, “Uncle Cen, even though he saved us earlier, why are you so respectful to him?”

Sixth Sister Gu spoke before Uncle Cen could say anything. “He’s no ordinary expert. If I’m not wrong, Uncle Cen and Fourth Brother Zeng could tell that he had a special identity.”

“That’s right. If we’re not mistaken, he’s an expert at the Martial Extermination Realm.” Uncle Cen nodded.

“Martial Extermination?!” Ninth Brother Huang gasped, but he seemed to have realized that his reaction was too loud and he quickly suppressed his voice. “Why would he pretend to be a Martial Intent Realm cultivator?”

There were traces of rage in his voice.

After all, he felt that Mister Bu could have saved all of them if he revealed his true strength. He might even be able to save the life of one of their brothers as they had their escape.

“Little Huang!” Uncle Cen could tell what Ninth Brother Huang was thinking about, and he warned, “All that matters is that he lent us a helping hand. Since he chose to step in to save our lives, we need to express our gratitude. You need to understand that if he chose to remain on the sidelines, we would have suffered a lot more casualties. He might have even chosen to watch us die!”

“Relax… I understand. I just have to release my emotions a little…”

Uncle Cen sighed and chose to remain silent.

All of a sudden, Sixth Sister Gu added, “There might be another reason he chose to hide his cultivation!” Seeing as Ninth Brother Huang had turned to look at her, she continued, “He might be trying to prevent Yang Hu from noticing his presence!”

Fourth Brother Zeng, who was recovering with his eyes closed, opened his eyes slowly. He nodded his head slightly when the attention of the others turned to him to indicate his agreement with Sixth Sister Gu’s deduction.

Sighing softly, Ninth Brother Huang’s emotions calmed down a lot.

“We can’t enter the Changfeng City any longer. Moreover, we have no idea what is going on in the Tongyou City. We can only choose to believe what Mister Bu said. After all, he seems to have some sort of relationship with the Tongyou Institution.” Uncle Cen explained.

However, Sixth Sister Gu seemed to have thought of something. “He’s able to determine that Yang Hu won’t do anything for the time being… Moreover, he chose to hide his cultivation. Wouldn’t that mean that he’s extremely close to Yang Hu in the Changfeng City?”

…

On a small hill some distance away from where the battle took place…

By the time Mister Bu arrived, he noticed a Mutated Rain Swallow leaping off Shang Xia’s shoulders and flying into the skies. Next, it started circling the air above the hill.

“Since you know about the situation with the third in command of the Eighteen Horsemen, you definitely have someone close to Yang Hu. Unless… You have a hidden identity as a spy hiding beside the city lord!”

Chuckling softly, Mister Bu didn’t answer Shang Xia. Instead, he asked a question of his own. “Why are you unwilling to show your face earlier? Is there someone among the five who can recognize you?”

Shang Xia felt that there was no need to hide something like that and he nodded casually. “I’m staying with their thirteenth sister, Hai Min, in the city. I met Uncle Cen and Ninth Brother Huang earlier. However, they don’t know who I am.”

“So that’s it…” Mister Bu nodded. He clearly didn’t expect Shang Xia to give such a straightforward reply. He quickly changed the topic. “Your bird is pretty good. Where did you get it?”

Even though he raised his eyebrows slightly in response, Shang Xia wasn’t surprised that Mister Bu wasn’t willing to answer his question. If he was in the other man’s place, he wouldn’t reveal his secret identity either.

However, a sudden impulse took over Shang Xia and he chuckled, “She’s called Yan Ni’er. I brought her back from the battlefield between the two worlds. I’m afraid she’s about to transform into a Lightning Bird soon.”

Opening his eyes in shock, Mister Bu gasped. “You brought a creature out from the battlefield between the two worlds? Didn’t they say that Yu Duhe was the only fellow who managed to tame a few scrappy birds in there?”

The smile on Shang Xia’s face grew wider and he continued, “Looks like my luck isn’t too bad then!”

Seeing the stupid expression on Shang Xia’s face, Mister Bu knew that the kid was feeling exceptionally proud of himself. He played along and continued asking, “Are you using the bird to do something right now?”

“I knew I couldn’t hide it from you!” Shang Xia smiled. “I got her to follow someone in secret previously. Since you brought me here to watch the great performance, I feel the need to return the favor. I heard that another great play is about to begin. Would you like to take a look?”